Hogwarts: The History
by Heiress of the Hogwarts Four
Summary: Who were the founders of Hogwarts? How did they meet? What did they do to ensure the existence of our dear old Hoggy Warty Hogwarts? Find out this and much more. r&r! possible RRGG and onesided HHSS
1. Meetings

**A/N** This came to me one night a few weeks ago and I've been trying to perfect it in my head for ages. Any comments or reviews to make this fic more realistic would help out tremendously. And so, without further ado. . .

The white cliffs of Dover glowed almost supernaturally as they were lit up by lightning. The stormy waters of the English Channel lapped against them, but to no avail. Over the cliffs loomed the gray outline of the monstrous Ravenclaw Castle. The rain poured down in torrents as a black and green litter drove up to the drawbridge of Ravenclaw Castle.

"Oi! Who goes there?" called the drawbridge guard from his parapet.

"Salazar Slytherin!" called the footman of the litter. "Lord Ravenclaw is expecting him!"

"Right. Lower the drawbridge!" the guard cried.

The young man in the water of the moat heard the creaking of the drawbridge and frantically swam under where it would come down. He couldn't afford to be seen. He had waited too long for his escape. He had planned too meticulously for a visitor to ruin it all. He thought of beautiful Rowena and had a longing to go back into the castle with a falsehood about his falling into the moat while on his way to feed the horses. He swallowed his young love and kept going clinging to the slippery gray rock under the drawbridge as he heard the thunder of a caravan of many horses overhead.

Without warning, his hands slid off of the rock, and he went splashing under the water, trying to stay afloat. He dared not cry out, but fear for his own life increased as water started to fill his lungs. "O, mighty God!" he thought frantically. "Spare me! Spare me! I must escape from this tyranny, I must! Because of my peculiar gift, I am a prisoner in the House of my love! For Thy Son's sake, spare me, Lord! Spare me that I may strike back!"

With that, he began to float. At first he was on top of the water, and then he was above the water and then moving over the land until he was dropped safely ten feet from the moat. Seeing his chance, he began to run blindly into the rain. A black-and-green-liveried soldier stopped him. "Trying to leave the House of thine Master? Let's see what Lord Ravenclaw thinks about this." And he was dragged back into the accurséd castle of Ravenclaw.

He struggled with all of his might as he was dragged back into the castle, but it was to no avail.

"Young Slytherin! Welcome, welcome!" Lord Ravenclaw cried as he came majestically down the stairs into the dining room, his blue robes billowing behind him. Lord Ravenclaw, an ambitious and clever man, often used his intellect to further his own causes. He knew that his daughter Rowena was probably the fairest girl in all of England, and even the King had looked upon her with a fond eye, and he planned to make a good sum of money off of her marriage. The Slytherin family was the second richest family in England (second, of course, to the Royal Family) and they also happened to share the gift of the Ravenclaws. Ravenclaw himself didn't use the name of the Gift that he possessed, but he knew it meant good fortune for him if he used it wisely. He feared the Gift, and only used it when it seemed only good(for him) could come out of it.

"I hope the rain has not frozen thy bones too much!" the jovial-acting Ravenclaw roared boisterously as he approached Young Lord Slytherin.

"Ah," said Salazar, a slim, pale young man, "it has but chilled me a little. Thank thee for welcoming me to thy fine home." He gestured around him "Unfortunately I have some bad news for thee. One of my footmen caught one of thine own servant boys running away."

"Well, it's not bad news if he was caught! Have him brought in. Angus, bring some brandy to warm our distinguished guest! And while thou be doing my bidding, bring in the footman and the servant boy." Then, turning to his guest, "Sit down, please, Lord Slytherin."

Angus, a dirty-looking man with a blue livery and a scraggly beard, leered at Ravenclaw, but bowed out and did what he said.

"Salazar, if thou wouldst," Slytherin said amiably, a hint of oil in his voice.

There was no denying that Salazar was quite handsome. With long, black, curly, glossy locks that framed his pale face and brought out his black eyes, there was no mistaking it. Ravenclaw thought him to be quite a promising match for his young Rowena. Hopefully, she wouldn't fight this marriage. Rowena carried the gift quite well. If agitated, she couldn't be controlled.

The footman came in at long last with the servant boy dragged in behind him by two more footmen. This young man dressed in Ravenclaw's blue livery and it clung to his body quite obscenely. His auburn hair hung in sopping wet strings about his handsome face. His light blue eyes blazed with anger as he tried unsuccessfully to escape the footmen.

Ravenclaw cackled maliciously at this sight. "Ah, 'tis our young master Gryffindor, trying once again to escape our castle!" Once Gryffindor saw Ravenclaw, he bowed his head so as not to look into his face. Gryffindor secretly felt that he would have no trouble ripping Lord Ravenclaw into pieces if he looked into that cruel, laughing face. And Gryffindor was a civilized man; he didn't want to kill Ravenclaw. He wanted to find some other way around the situation.

"Give the boy thirty lashes!" Ravenclaw commanded. "Make it tomorrow morning, in front of all of the other servants. He needs to learn his lesson, and they need to learn from his shame." Ravenclaw leered unpleasantly at Gryffindor as he was drug away to the dungeons. "That stupid brat is always trying to escape from here," Ravenclaw laughed. "He feels that he's too good to work in my stable. Well, those lashes'll show him his place." He chuckled quite heartily at this. Gryffindor had the Gift as well, but somehow was able to show much more restraint over it. Ravenclaw mistook this as Gryffindor being weak. He thought he'd break that boy, some day. That day would be a glorious one indeed in the House of Ravenclaw.

"I suppose thou wouldst like to get down to business," Salazar said abruptly.

"Yes, might as well," Ravenclaw agreed. "I thought thou might be a suitable husband for our daughter. We would reign over the same lands. What's mine would be thine, and visa versa. Upon my death, thou wouldst inherit all that is mine. I have no sons, and I need an heir, not an heiress."

"Is the girl comely?" Slytherin asked.

"Yes, quite. Here, I have a miniature of her." Ravenclaw pulled a gilt-framed miniature out of his doublet. Pictured in it was a girl of about fifteen, with pink cheeks,grey eyes and ebony-coloured hair. Although she smiled, her eyes showed resentment at being forced to smile.

"She looks a bit troublesome," Slytherin commented.

"Aye, but she's worth the trouble, my Lord," Ravenclaw replied, now adopting a greasy tone and still trying to sound jovial.

"Might I have an interview with her?" Slytherin asked.

"Certainly, my Lord. Let us send a message to have her meet thee in mine library. This way." And the two men left the room, trying to conceal their hate for one another.


	2. The Interview

**A/N**- Here's another one!

"I hear Lord Slytherin has come to see thee," Helga, Rowena's handmaiden commented as she tightened Rowena's corset strings. Helga, a heavy-set girl, always had a comment in her thick German accent on the goings-on of Ravenclaw castle. "Dost thou knowest why?" she giggled, twirling a curl of golden hair around her plump finger.

"I believe Father wants to arrange a marriage," Rowena replied as Helga tied off the last of the corset strings. "Father believes that the House of Slytherin has the same Gift as us, and demands that we keep the Gifted blood pure. It's a load of rubbish, really. I don't wish to marry, unless I fall in love." Helga gave her a sly look as she pulled Rowena's blue and gold dress down over her head. "It isn't very likely that I'll fall in love, Helga. Dismiss the very thought from thine mind." Rowena snapped irritably.

Helga just laughed to herself. "There are plenty of young bucks 'round here if you would just look around. Especially 'round the stable. All of the stable boys gaze longingly at thee if thou wouldst just notice."

"And have Father punish me for looking for a husband in the wrong place? I ought not trouble his feeble old mind for a little bit of fun. That's all love is."

"Thou willst fall in love someday, m'lady. I can feel in here in my bones."

"Thou canst dream, dearest Helga, but thine prophecies shall never be fulfilled."

"So sayest thou," Helga replied good-naturedly, knowing that her prophecies were never wrong. "Shall I brush out thy hair for thee?"

"Yes. I must look my best for Lord Slytherin, hate him as I will," Rowena sighed airily as she sat down in front of her looking glass.

Once she received the letter from her father that sent for her, Rowena, accompanied by Helga, made her way down to her father's library. There was silence between the two girls as they shuffled down the hallway. Helga, feeling how tense her mistress was, dared not speak lest she provoke some anger in her mistress that would be taken out on the kind handmaiden.

Indeed, Rowena was quite tense. She was so tense that she kept fiddling with her headdress. She couldn't ever get it on right. But she had other things about which to worry. She knew that if it was her father's will that she marry this man, she would have to do it. She prayed that Lord Slytherin wouldn't be too awful. She knew she wouldn't be able to bear it if he had bad breath or if he had hair growing out of his ears or something.

At long last, they reached the library doors. A pageboy announced Rowena and Helga, and they stepped in, unknowing of what lay before them. A thin, pale young man stood in the middle of the library, not quite knowing what to do as they made their way in, but trying to look as though he did. As the two ladies approached him, he swept off his cap as he sank into a deep bow. "Ladies Rowena and Helga, splendid to meet you," he purred, kissing both girls' right hands.

Helga blushed quite prettily and returned with, "The pleasure is all mine." _That Slytherin fellow is quite handsome_, she thought to herself.

Rowena maintained her composure and returned that she was pleased to meet Slytherin, though it was quite stiff. _I don't really like him,_ Rowena thought to herself. _I get the strange feeling we won't get along. I don't want to marry him. I really don't._

Rowena's immediate dislike for Slytherin was only apparent to Helga. Slytherin, though not experiencing love at first sight, was quite intrigued by this girl. _She's comely enough, _he thought, _but I have a feeling she'll probably hold me back from my ambitions. Quite a shame, quite a shame._ He smiled warmly and pulled out two chairs for the girls to sit in.

"Thank thee, m'lord," Rowena said stiffly as she sat down. "What is it that thou requirest from me?"

"I would like to know a bit about thee before I give mine consent to thy father to marry thee. He's quite anxious for our union."

"I see. What wouldst thou like to know about me?"

"Art thou good friends with the King? I've heard tell that the King looks upon thee fondly, in particular."

"I've only met the King but once, but he kissed my hand and said that if I were in need of a favor, he would gladly oblige." Rowena folded and unfolded her hands in her lap. _Why in Heaven's Name would he want to know that before marrying me? Surely, he's not going to try and gain the King's favor through me? I'm not his puppet!_ She had to try quite hard to keep her displeasure at this question hidden.

Slytherin smiled on the inside. _I've always wanted connections to the King, and now I have one._ "What dost thou do in thine spare time to amuse thyself?"

"I quite enjoy reading, m'lord. Sometimes I read three books a day. Although, because they're hard to come by, sometimes I don't read for months on end. If I could read one book a day, I'd be the most content woman on this good Earth."

Slytherin frowned. "Dost thou not sew?"

"Aye, I do sew, but I enjoy reading a great deal more."

"Dost thou play the virginals and sing?"

"Aye. Writing music is another one of my favorite pastimes. The King quite enjoyed hearing me sing when he came to visit last."

"Wonderful!" said Slytherin clapping his hands. Here, he had the perfect trophy wife, aside from the whole "reading thing." He could accept to marry her. "That's all I shall require from thee. I shall see thee on the morrow!" He kissed her hand and abruptly left the room.

"He seemed quite pleased as he left, didn't he?" Rowena weakly asked after a moment of silence.

"I do admit he seemed pleased, but I don't believe that thou wilt marry him," Helga said carefully.

"What makes thou think that?" Rowena asked suspiciously.

"I am having a premonition as we speak m'lady," Helga replied quite seriously through her thick German accent. "I fear there is a plot against thy father."

"If only that were true!" Rowena whispered. "He makes the lives of those here so miserable and dreary! I don't want to marry that awful man. I don't wish to marry!" She wept bitterly. "I cannot foresee happiness if I marry him."

"It's alright, poppet. He shall ne'er marry thee. I'm quite sure of it."

"I hope so."


	3. A Plan

A/N sorry it took so long for me to update. It's been nothing but run, run, run since, well, all month (more so than usual). Now that I'm on Christmas break, I have a bit more time to write and update. Here's another one!

"I am quite pleased with thine daughter, and consent to take her hand in marriage and unite our lands," Salazar announced to Lord Ravenclaw, with an oily icyness in his voice.

"Good! Let's have a toast to that! Angus! Our finest mead!"

The two men appeared to drink heartily; Salazar merely pretended to sip and pour the mead into his cup. Old Ravenclaw didn't know the difference. He drank quite a bit, and by now, he was red-faced and boisterous, and talking of things he normally wouldn't talk about.

"I'm not about to let thee marry my daughter!" he laughed uproariously. "Thou hast a funny air about you and I don't like it. Funny thing is, neither of us will remember this in the morning!" And with this he dissolved into fits of laughter.

Salazar had suspected such treachery. And he wasn't going to stand for it. He laughed with the old man and pretended to drink to his health until Old Ravenclaw had passed out.

The Gryffindor boy had spent the whole night tied to the lashing post. He wept angry tears. The tears blinded him from his former ambitions. He wanted Ravenclaw to die. He wanted to get out of here. He couldn't stand this oppression for another minute. Thankfully, the rain had stopped. Godric was so wrapped up in his anger and hate that he didn't notice Slytherin approaching.

Salazar considered the Gryffindor boy for a moment. He had heard tell of the boy's Gift from the footman that had captured him. Those with the Gift were the most highly trusted to Salazar, although Salazar trusted no one.

Godric looked up the minute he sensed Slytherin's presence and shot him a defiant glare. "Why didn't thy servant just let me flee from this place?" he asked angrily. "Why?"

"He didn't know better. Forgive us, my Lord, for we did not know thy plight. We have seen that thou dost possess a Gift, a Gift that we also possess, and that we might be able to use. Thyself and myself, we could combine our Gifts and end Ravenclaw's tyranny!"

Godric chose to ignore Slytherin's regal "we" and listened to the message. Gift? End Ravenclaw's tyranny? What message could be sweeter than that of salvation? "What must I do?"

"We will poison the old man. We would like thee to make a potion. Thou dost know how, we presume?"

"No, but I have connections in the castle, and I know one servant girl who could help me."

"Find a way to make the potion. We will find a way to contact thee in a fortnight about the progress of the plan. After the potion is made, slip it to us, and we shall put it in his drink. No one will be the wiser."

"My lord Slytherin, I believe we do have a plan," Godric said, "but what am I to do in the meantime?"

"We would save you from this whipping, but Lord Ravenclaw has to sense that nothing is wrong. We are deeply sorry, that it has to be this way, Lord Gryffindor. We have already tried begging for a pardon for thee from Lord Ravenclaw, but he refused." Now, Salazar had done no such thing, but even if he had, it wouldn't have made a difference. He knew that, and he knew that Gryffindor didn't know that.

"My lord Slytherin, I believe we have a plan," Gryffindor replied, a righteous anger burning in his eyes.


	4. Helga's Part

The whipping of Gryffindor was a hard thing for gentle Helga to watch. The next morning, as planned by Lord Ravenclaw, the population of the castle was forced to watch as Gryffindor was whipped relentlessly. He never cried out, but it was obvious by the convulsions of his face that he was resisting with every fiber of his being.

It didn't make sense to Salazar. How could one with the Gift not have an ounce of control over it? If Salazar had been in that situation, he knew that he would have been able to charm himself to not feel the pain. Maybe the Gryffindor boy was a very good playactor.

"I don't want to watch it anymore than you do, dear Helga," Rowena whispered out of the corner of her mouth. She could see Helga wincing out of the corner of her eye. Rowena could not help but inwardly wince herself. She would outwardly wince if she knew that her father would not react violently. He couldn't tolerate such acts of weakness. Helga could get away with it, though, her being from an entirely different country. She didn't even have to wear the Ravenclaw livery that the other servants did. She was allowed to wear the plain yellow kirtles that she had brought from her native land.

She seemed to be the favorite of Lord Ravenclaw. Helga did not reciprocate the feeling. She hated the lecherous old man. She whimpered whenever he sent for her, and she never revealed the horrid happenings of those meetings to her mistress. She just prayed that Lord Ravenclaw would leave her be.

After Gryffindor's thirty lashes had been, well, lashed, the crowd was allowed to disperse and go about their duties.

"If my lady doesn't mind," Helga said timidly, curtsying, "I ask that I be allowed to tend to the wounds of the Gryffindor boy."

"Get thee thither. The boy is in need of thy gentle, loving hands," Rowena replied gently.

"Thank thee, mistress!" Helga cried as she fled down the stairs to tend to Godric.

Helga and Godric had been friends since they first met each other. Sometimes they bumped into each other in the kitchens and talked for a few minutes about the goings-on of the castle.

Helga secretly felt that Godric and Rowena possessed a shared destiny, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. They knew of each other, but they had never spoken. Helga did know very well that whenever Rowena was in the stable, Godric paused from his duties to gaze at her unabashedly. She had to admit that it was quite a humorous sight to see.

This was the foremost thought in her mind as she cleansed the wounds on his shredded, beaten back. That was, until she saw how much Godric winced as she scrubbed his back clean.

"Thou canst cry out if it would make thee feel better," Helga offered.

"I'm not that bad, really, dear Helga," Godric insisted.

When she was done cleaning and bandaging his back, Godric sat up and looked Helga straight in the eye. "Dost thou hate Lord Ravenclaw?"

Fingering the rosary in her pocket, Helga looked startled and nervously glanced at Godric. "What kind of question is that for thee to ask?"

"Answer the question," Godric said gently.

"Hating someone is an evil thing," Helga began nervously.

"Answer the question!" Godric repeated, almost angrily.

"Yes! Yes, I hate him! Is that good enough for thee? I hate the old man! He's a lecherous, mortal sinner!" She wept bitterly. Abruptly she stopped. "I apologize my lord. I should not have lost . . . what's the word? . . .composure like that. Forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive, dear Helga," Godric replied warmly. "All I asked of thee was whether or not thou dost hate the man as I do. Wrong as it is, I do hate him. I pray about it all of the time, and it seems like my prayer has been answered."

"How?" Helga asked excitedly.

"Do you know of the Gift that Ravenclaw often speaks?"

"Yes, and I know that we both share the Gift."

"Couldst thou brew a potion for me?"

"What kind of potion must I brew?"

"Before I reveal what kind of potion, thou must swear on all that is holy that thou wilt not reveal the plot."

"I swear on all that is holy, my lord."

"A poison. A poison for Lord Ravenclaw. Lord Slytherin has proposed that I procure a potion, and he shall slip it into the old man's drink. The tyranny shall end, dear Helga! A te deum shall be sung in honor of our glorious uprising!" Godric's eyes lit up in his excitement.

"Thou art asking me to break a Commandment, my lord," Helga replied, "but, if the old man's death is the answer to thine prayers, I shalt do it. I shalt! He shall not torture another soul as long as he may live!


	5. The Result of Rowena's Boredom

A/N---some notes to my reviewers 

**PadfootsMoony-you're making me blush! I am not worthy! Thanks for the ego-boosting and sincere review!**

**Anyway. . . without further ado. . . chapter five.**

"Have the wedding arrangements been made, Helga?" Rowena asked tiredly.

"Not yet, madam. Lord Slytherin has to sign the papers thy father hast provided for him to sign. "Slytherin might be living here a good four or five years before he marries thee."

"But I'll be an old maid by then!" Rowena complained. "I mean, I would rather not marry Lord Slytherin, but I'd rather marry him than be an old maid! I don't know very many girls that are nineteen years old and haven't borne a son or daughter!"

"Not everyone is bound to be married before they turn sixteen and are bound to be grandmothers when they are in their third decade. I'm eighteen and I have yet to find a husband. All in due time, my lady, all in due time thy fate shall come to pass. I don't believe thou wilt marry Lord Slytherin."

"Forgive me, dear Helga. I did not realize to whom I was talking. I am going mad without intellectual stimulation. I can only read a book so many times before I have it memorized. I'm about ready to create some more spells."

"Thou hast created spells? Dost thou not know the penalty of witchcraft? I know thou hast a Gift, but it's not wise or prudent to display it so."

"I'm not displaying it, Helga. I only use it on rodents and insects that make their way into my chambers. I've come up with some good ones. Wouldst thou like to see?"

"Art thou sure that not one soul shall see?"

"Not unless another one possessing the Gift levitates outside my chamber window. I'm the only one who knows that spell." Rowena grinned with childish satisfaction. "Wouldst thou like to see?"

"Now that thou hast aroused mine curiosity, I suppose so."

Rowena produced what looked to Helga like some kind of a smooth twig of about a foot long. "_Was ist das?_" Helga asked, forgetting to use English.

"A wand," Rowena whispered. "A man called Ollivander was staying at the castle disguised as a wandering minstrel, and he showed me his wands. He knew of the Gift I possessed and sought to help me gain control over it."

"How did he know?"

"I cannot say. I am sure, though, that he used some kind of magic to sense other Gifted people."

"Thou must not say that word!" Helga whispered, almost tearfully. "What if someone heard thee?"

"No one will hear me, dear Helga. I have come up with a spell to keep sound from escaping this chamber. Now, wilt thou let me show you my spell?"

"Yes, madam," Helga said in quiet awe, her large blue eyes wide. She had never known her mistress to be so daring. But, she did know what madness ennui creates, and what a cruel mistress it could be.

Rowena shot Helga a quick mischievous grin of a child showing off for a friend before diving under her bed. She returned, her glossy raven hair matte with dust and holding a red velvet box. She revealed by opening it a large beetle within. She grinned and set it on the floor, and, pointing her wand at the bug commanded, "_Imperio!_" The beetle froze in its tracks.

"What does the spell do? Freeze it?" Helga asked quietly.

"No. The spell makes me able to control its action---its movements. I could make this beetle crawl into my father's soup if I wished it to."

"It's not right, madam, to control a living being in such a way! What if someone found out about that spell and performed it on a person?" Helga, a timid, God-fearing creature, saw the ultimate evil that could come of this spell.

"Dear Lord," Rowena breathed. She quickly ended the spell. "I never thought of that. That spell was to be used to train animals, such as horses. I never thought it could be used on a person. What if my father found out about this spell and mastered it? He could force me to marry Lord Slytherin! He could force anyone to do anything!"

Unbeknownst to the Helga and Rowena, the beetle scurried to the window and flew away, towards the tower in which Lord Slytherin was staying.


	6. Helga's Midnight Stroll

**A/N-To my reviewers (I got more! HAHA!)**

**Rambie-Thank you for the showers of skittles!**

**Wouldn't You Like to Know14-I'm glad you likes! Thank you! hugs**

**To Everyone-I'll update as much as possible, but considering my schedule, they might be few and far between. So, without further ado. . . **

The black-spotted green beetle flew back to Slytherin's tower almost urgently. It arrived to Slytherin's chambers as he was conversing with his snake, Nagini. The beetle quickly transformed into a man wearing Slytherin's livery and a flinch. He cowered before his master, waiting to be acknowledged. Slytherin sometimes didn't acknowledge his servants for hours on end. He didn't feel, since their parents didn't possess the Gift but they did, that they were good enough to be acknowledged right away. All of his servants were Muggleborn, a word that made Salazar shiver with disgust.

Contrary to his usual habit of coldly ignoring the servant, Salazar perked up the moment he transformed and, cooing to Nagini in Parseltongue, he set her aside and said, "Well? What didst thou learn?"

"The Lady Ravenclaw has a spell with which to control living beings. She used it on me," the servant replied with a shaky voice.

"What did she make thou do?" Salazar asked curiously.

"She made me motionless. I couldn't move, but it didn't matter. I felt very content. It was a strange occurrence, my Lord."

"What was the incantation?" Slytherin asked. "Dost thou remember?"

The servant trembled before giving his answer. "_Imperio_," he whispered, knowing what would be next.

Slytherin withdrew a thirteen inch wormwood wand and pointed it at his servant. "_Imperio!_" After a moment of thinking, Salazar knew what he wanted his servant to do. The servant began back-flipping and cart-wheeling wildly around the room. Slytherin let out a hearty laugh. "Now I have my own jester!" He took the spell off. "Thou must go back to Lady Rowena's chambers and find out more of her spells. I do hope that the rest of her spells are as useful as this one." He laughed wickedly as his servant gratefully transformed back into the beetle and flew off in the direction of Rowena's tower.

Rowena noticed that Helga began sneaking out at all hours of the night after the Gryffindor boy was publicly beaten for his offenses. Night after night she watched quietly as Helga slid stealthily out of the chamber and returned about three-quarters of an hour later. Upon returning, she would pray for a good quarter of an hour and then finally fall into a deep slumber.

About a week and a half after Rowena noticed Helga's nighttime wanderings, she decided to follow Helga. A moment after Helga had left that night, Rowena slipped on her dressing gown and, bringing a candle, poked her head out of her chambers to see Helga disappear around the corner of the corridor. The stone floors were freezing cold, but as long as Rowena kept moving, her bare feet barely felt it. Helga appeared as thought she were going to the stables. Did Helga possibly have a secret betrothed that she went to see?

Indeed, Helga went to the stables. The warm straw felt a lot nicer under Rowena's feet than the cold stone floors of the drafty castle. She peeped her head out from a beam of the stable to see Helga stirring a cauldron and conversing with the Gryffindor boy.

"How long until 'tis ready, m'lady?" Godric asked. Rowena thought his lyrical Scottish tones absolutely charming. She didn't know that this boy came from the North.

"Only a few more days, sir," Helga replied thickly. "I should like to rest after it's done and over with."

"We all will, m'lady. We all will."

"Das is good," Helga said, suppressing a yawn and stirring more and more feverishly.

"Does the Lady Rowena know of this plot?" Godric asked curiously.

"No, she does not. I daresay, though, I think she would whole-heartedly support it. She despises her father as much as the rest of us. The evil, lecherous sinner!" Helga spat in the cauldron out of spite and continued stirring.

Godric had become accustomed to Helga's random outbursts of rage against Lord Ravenclaw and thought naught of this particular one.

"Dost thou believe that once the Lady Rowena is freed from her father's tyranny, that she might marry whomever she chooses?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, of course, m'lord!" Helga laughed heartily. "Dost thou have thine heart set upon asking the Lady Rowena thyself?"

"I have dreamt of her every time I slumber since I first laid mine eyes upon her angelic brow!" Godric replied passionately. "Once we are all free from Ravenclaw's tyranny, I can reveal my status as a Thane to her! I really am noble, Lady Helga, but I was abducted by Lord Ravenclaw several years past because of the Gift I possess but have not yet learned to control! My parents did not possess the Gift and were frightened when the Lord Ravenclaw demanded me at their doorstep, but they fought him bravely for me. And then, he muttered a horrible curse that killed both of my parents. He slaughtered them to gain control over me! The servants swore that whence I return, I shall become ruler of the castle once more. The Lady Rowena and I could live there happily. And we could learn to control our Gifts, and we could teach others! And thou could assist us, Lady Helga!"

"That sounds vonderful!" Helga cried. "Dost thou believe that the Lady Rowena would accept thine offer?"

"I can only hope, dear Helga. I long for her to accept, but there is always the possibility that she could refuse and marry Lord Slytherin."

"Marry Lord Slytherin! Of course not, m'lord. She dost not care for the man! If she doesn't marry thee, I don't believe she will marry. The Lady Rowena is very content living as a maiden. She will only marry for love."

"Thou dost believe that she might love me?" Godric asked hopefully.

"I don't know for sure, my lord. Time will tell." She added this last part quite firmly, exactly the way she had told Rowena about how time would tell about her fate. "Let us not talk about Lady Rowena any longer. I rather don't like talking about her when she isn't in our presence. She would not care for it. Tell me more about thine idea. The one about the school."

"We could headquarter it in mine castle---Hogwarts. We could make a few adjustments to it, to suit our magical needs, of course, but it would be worth it. We could teach how to control the Gift, and maybe even come up with some rules about how it should and shouldn't be used. I rather despise the way Lord Ravenclaw uses it to be a tyrant and induce fear into his inferiors. I rather think that the lady Rowena would make a fine headmistress, with her interest in books and all."

As intrigued as Rowena was, she realized that she couldn't hide in the shadows for much longer without being discovered by somebody, and she didn't want Helga or the Gryffindor boy to know she had been listening in, not yet.

Headmistress! The Gryffindor boy thought she would make a good headmistress! Now that she thought about it, she wouldn't mind marrying the Gryffindor boy. He was quite handsome, and he turned out to be quite romantic and dashing in personality as well. And that school idea was definitely something to think on.


End file.
